“I’m always careful to never say ‘never, never, never, never.’ But I’m not doing anything remotely that you would expect me to be doing at this point if I were to be interested in doing that," he said, according to the paper. "As I’ve told some of the recruiters, I don’t think I’d like it, and I don’t think you’d like me."

If Alexander, up for his third term in 2014, is vulnerable at all, it's probably from a primary challenge. And the senator has already been working to shore up his right flank. During the weekend, he made a show of strength, announcing that just about every important statehouse and Tennessee federal official was supporting him.